Automatic fire-extinguishing device.



PATENTBD NOV. 8, 1904.

J. GALVIN.

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

*Ivi buzon:

UNTTED STATES Patented November 8, 190.4.

PATENT EETEE.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,352, dated November8, 1904.

Application filed June '7, 1904:. Serial No. 211,438, (N0 model.)

To all whom, it mfr/y cm1/cern:

Be it known that l, JOHN GALvIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brattleboro, in the county of lVindham and State of Vermont,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticFire-Extinguishing Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to beafull. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention is directed to the production of an automaticfire-extinguisher consisting of a metal tubular coil charged with afire-extinguishing fiuid or chemicals which under the action of heatupon the coil is converted into gas, the pressure from which within thecoil is caused to expel one ormore Stoppers and eject in forced streamsthe fire-extinguishing gas and fluid to extinguish the fire. The coil isendless, and its chamber is divided transversely, havinga fluid-chargingorifice and an air-vent orifice, and is provided with one or moredischarge-openings closed by stoppers to render the coil air-tight whencharged and forming thereby an article of manufacture which may beplaced for use in any closure where fire is liable to developsuch, forinstance, as a can used for the storage of matches-and inelevator-shafts, rooms, halls, and places where fire would be -likely tooccur, and heating the tube or coil cause it thereby to form anautomatic fire extinguisher, delivering under a strong ejecting forcethe extinguishing element, thereby extinguishing the fire.

rIhe following description, read in connection with the accompanyingdrawingsnvill enable any person skilled in the art to which my inventionrelates to understand and to practice it in the form in which I preferto employ it; but it will be understood that my invention is not limitedto the precise form and details of construction illustrated anddescribed, as various modifications and changes may be made withoutexceeding the scope of the claims in which my invention is set out.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l represents my automaticnre-extinguisher inthe form of a tubular ring or coil charged with afire-extinguishing fiuid or chemicals and applied to a can which issupposed to contain matches in storage and which in the event of fireoriginating from the matches will heat the charged coil, therebyconverting the fiuid therein into a fire-extinguishing gas which isejected by the pressure thereof expelling the stoppers. Fig. 2 shows thering or coil when charged and ready for use. Fig. 3 is a partialsectional view of the ring or coil, showing a partition of its chamber,the fiuid-fill- .ing orifice, the air-vent, and the dischargeopeningclosed by the Stoppers. Fig. 4L shows in section a screw-coupling havingadividingpartition and connecting the ends of the coil.

The fluid-filling orifice and the air-vent are side by side, so that infilling the coil-chainber the Huid will displace the air from the coil,the fluid entering one orifice and the air forced out of the otherorifice, and a single stopper will close both the filling-orifice andthe air-vent, as in Fig. 3. .A

The tubular coil l is made of any suitable metallic substance, copperbeing preferable, because it is a quick conductor of heat. It may bemade of any endless form that will allow the displacement of the air incharging the chamber of the coil and of any size to provide a capacityfor the purpose intended. Any suitable fire-extinguishing chemical orfiuid may be used, such as aqua-ammonia, which will under the action ofheat upon the coil be converted into gas, the pressure from which willexpel a stopper or Stoppers, and thereby automatically eject under forcethe gas and iiuid. The ends of the coil may be soldered or brazedtogether, and at such joining an opening is made over which a short tube2 is soldered or brazed to the joined ends or to a coupling. A partition3 divides the coil-chamber at this opening and extending into the shorttube forms a charging-orifice 4 for the fluid anda vent rfor the airexpelled in lilling the coil; The short tube, therefore, in-

closes the filling-orifice and the air-vent and 9 is itself closed by asingle screw-cap 6 and rubber gasket 9. One or more openings may be madein the coil at one or at each side of the partition and provided With ashort tube 7, closed by a stopper 8. I prefer to make the rool Stoppersof soft rubber, because an air-tight joint thereby the better providedand because they are more certain to be expelled under a certain degreeof pressure from the gas produced within the coil. The charged andsealed metallic coil, with its filling and discharging tubes andStoppers, is, so far as I know and can find, a new conception in itsfunction of converting' under the action of heat a fire-extinguishingfluid into a gas and automatically expelling it and injecting' it undera strong pressure from the coil to extinguish the fire.

The device made of endless ring form affords a convenient and simple wayof uniting the ends together, of making an opening in the walls at themeeting ends, of fixing a tube over said opening, and of fixing' apartition within the ring at the opening' so as to divide the chamber ofthe ring and of the tube and making it both a charging-orifice and anair-vent in charging the chamber, and, so far as I know and can find,the charged and sealed metallic coil, with its filling' and dischargingtubes and. stoppers, is a new conception in its function of convertingunder the action of heat a. fire-extinguishing fluid into a gas andautomatically expelling' it and injecting it under a strong pressurefrom the coil to extinguish the fire.

An important feature of my invention is the generation of afire-extinguishing gas by heat upon the walls of a tubular closurecontaining a fire-extinguishing fluid and the automatic ejection offorced streams therefrom, thereby extinguishing the fire it beingunderstood that `the ejecting force is an active element in theefficiency of the device in projecting the gas into the fire.

The ends of the ring may be right and left screwthreaded and united by acoupling which is formed with the partition, as seen in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a number of ejecting-tubes, so that the expellingof the stoppers in some of them will be rendered certain, as thepressure of the gas within the tube may be greater at some points, andthey may be variously arranged.

In a concurrent application filed by me J une 21, 1904, for automaticfire-extinguishing device, under Serial No. 213,484, I have shown,described, and claimed a similar invention of which the following is thesubject-matter of claim: "As a new article of manufacture theherein-described automatic fire-extinguishing device consisting of ametallic tube having a charging-opening at or near one end, an airventat or near its other end, a sealing-gasket for each, screw-capsreinforcing said gaskets,

one or more discharge-openings, a sealing stopper or stoppers therefor,and a charge of fire-extinguishing fluid,7 and this cross-reference isintended to be notice that the claim in the said application, Serial No.213,484, is subordinate to the claim of this patent.

I claiml. An automatic fire-extinguisher, consisting of a tubularmetallic coil havingl its ends united and having' a charging and adischarging opening, an air-vent and Stoppers therefor whereby, underthe action of heat upon the metallic walls, gas is generated underpressure from the contained lire-extinguishing fluid expelling thereby astopper or stoppers, and ejecting from the coil the gas and the fluid inforced streams thereby extinguishing the fire.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an automatic lire-extinguisher,consisting of a tubular coil or ring having its ends united and havingan opening at the meeting ends, a tube fixed over said opening, apartition dividing the chamber of the coil and the tube whereby to forma charging-orifice for the fire-extinguishing fluid, and an air-vent,both opening into said tube, a g'asket and a screw-cap closing saidtube, a tube or tubes for ejecting the fire-extinguishing element, and astopper or Stoppers therefor, whereby under the action of heat upon themetal walls of the coil the stopper is expelled and the gasand fluidejected from the coil in forced streams.

3. An automatic fire-extinguisher consisting of a tubular metallic coilor ring having its ends united, and having an opening at its meetingends, a charging-tube for the fireextinguishing fluid fixed over saidopening, means whereby the chamber of the coil and said tube are dividedto form a charging-orifice and an air-vent, a gasket and screw-cap forsaid tube, and a discharging-orifice having a stopper, for the purposestated.

4. An automatic fire-extinguisher consisting of a sealed tube of thinmetallic walls charged with a fire-extinguishing fluid. and including afilling and a discharging opening and Stoppers therefor, said tubecaused by heat penetrating the thin walls to eject by internal pressure,a stopper or Stoppers to effect thereby the automatic ejection from thetube the gas and fluid in forced streams to extinguish the fire.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN G-ALVIN. i/Vitnesses:

E. W. GIBSON, J. L. MARTIN.

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